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The Importance Of Establishing Paternity

Plantation attorney Kelley A. Joseph has a wealth of experience helping Florida clients with the process of establishing paternity. Like any other family law proceeding, the matter can be handled amicably or contentiously.

Paternity is a common problem in many child-related family law matters. A father cannot assert his right to parenting time or custodial authority until it is established as a legal matter that he is indeed the father of the child. On the other hand, a mother cannot obtain court-ordered child support until the father is identified. Paternity is a critical matter in many divorce and family law proceedings.

At the Law Office of Kelley A. Joseph, P.A., the goal is to work through matters as efficiently and amicably as possible. When matters become contentious, attorney Kelley A. Joseph will use her many years of litigation experience to fight aggressively for her clients in court, but she does everything possible to save her clients the cost and added stress of protracted litigation.

How To Establish Paternity In Florida

Chapter 742 is Florida's paternity statute. Attorney Kelley A. Joseph has experience working with this statute to establish paternity. There are a few essential ways to establish paternity, including:

Marriage: Since paternity is generally assumed in the context of marriage, the issue of paternity comes up most frequently in the context of children outside of the context of marriage. There are occasions, however, in which paternity becomes an issue in traditional divorces, as well.

Signed admission from the father: When a mother is seeking child support, the father simply signing an admission is the simplest way to establish paternity.

DNA testing: If a father is seeking to establish his parental rights, or a mother is trying to seek financial support, the court can order a DNA test to establish whether the man in question really is the father.

"Paternity issues are difficult enough for people without the attorney adding to the stress. I do everything I can to handle paternity issues for my clients as amicably as possible. I will fight it out in court when needed, and I have a great deal of litigation experience, but my focus is on settling matters more amicably when I can. This is just one more way I serve my clients." ∙ Plantation Paternity Attorney Kelley A. Joseph

The Law Office of Kelley A. Joseph, P.A., represents both men and women in Fort Lauderdale and throughout South Florida who wish to legally determine the paternity of a child. Call 954-376-4826, 888-392-5784 toll free, or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

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